Training Hermione
by Velveteenbunny
Summary: Severus Snape has once again met up with the Hermione Granger he knew from Hogwarts...except she is a little different. Will Severus be able to help her, all before the Hogwarts Christmas ball and what will ensue from his decision to spend more time with the girl. This story is for anyone who has ever struggled with their weight...or any woman anywhere. AU/ Post war.
1. Chapter 1

Training Hermione

This is my new short fiction, I'm still working on an affinity for living, but this struck me as an amusing change of tone. Inspiration struck...I wrote...Hope you enjoy...read and review.

THIS STORY IS DEDICATED TO ANYONE WHO HAS EVER BEEN OVERWEIGHT OR WHO STRUGGLES WITH THEIR WEIGHT

Chapter 1

Severus Snape truly begrudged spending his hard earned galleons, teaching insipid dunderheads for more years than he would care to remember, on clothes. Unfortunately for him and any other male who disliked the drudgery of clothes shopping, social convention dictated that in order to appear in polite society, one must actually clothe one's flesh. If Severus had have had his way he would have been able to wear nothing, and make everyone else wear nothing too. Then he would not have to waste his precious weekends dragging around Diagon Alley looking for warmer outfits.

It was true he wore teaching robes seven out of seven days a week, but when the weather turned arctic, and it did in Scotland, he was forced to purchase a new coat, scarf, gloves and various other wintry objects of clothing...including a new hot water bottle, preferably one without a teddy bear cover. Having received such an offensive object last Christmas from Professor Dumbledore, he was loathe to use the smiling bear whose name his tag told him was Edward bear, so instead he would shiver in his quarters, Edward bear had been shoved in the drawer so he was unable to mock the man further.

Another unfortunate issue for the Potions Master was the fact that the only place to buy the best kind of clothing created by Wizards' was Madam Malkins. Even the thought of having to have the fussy little ball of a woman measure him, made him throw up just a little bit into his throat. Happening upon the shop he swallowed the bile/porridge mixture back into his stomach, and with a deep breath Severus pushed open the shop door and stepped over the threshold. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light of the store, which Madam Malkin had purposely had installed to make her outfits more flattering, he was greeted with a wail and a sob coming from one of the changing rooms at the back of the shop.

"Why doesn't it fit? It's huge it should fit...it's magical for Merlin's sake."

Severus sneered; some unfortunate female, who was unable to fit into some inappropriate dress, no doubt was having a melt down and blaming the fabric. He chuckled meanly to himself as he picked up a soft pair of black leather gloves from next to a twisted mannequin...no sense in denying his signature colour.

"It looks lovely on you dear," the simpering voice of Madam Malkin replied to the cry.

'That's a lie I bet,' Severus thought pulling a glove onto one hand.

"That's a lie!"

Severus shrugged his shoulders as he heard the other woman shout back.

"I look like that bloody hippopotamus from Fantasia, the one in the bloody pink skirt!" A Muggle reference Severus noted, she must be a Muggle born...even more unfortunate, she will stump Madam Malkin with that response. As expected the seamstress did not reply to that, aside from a confused ermmm.

As Severus popped the glove back onto the side board, he heard heavy footsteps and was jostled by a crying girl desperately trying to remove herself from a too small set of pink dress robes.

"Excuse me," she sobbed wiping her eyes.

"Perfectly fine," Severus paused as he realised who this whale was who had just rammed into him in her despair "Miss Granger."

"Oh Merlin...Professor Snape...I'm terribly sorry I didn't mean to come crashing into you," her apology just brought more tears from her still lovely hazel eyes, and Severus felt slightly sorry for the girl...for about a minute.

"What are you wailing about Miss Granger? I could hear you across the shop."

Hermione paused for a moment before spilling her guts metaphorically to the Professor. "I came to buy some new robes for the Hogwarts Christmas party Dumbledore is hosting this year, and I can't find any that fit me...I'm such a Heffalump."

"A.A Milne would be proud," Severus sniffed. "I'm aware of the party of which you speak Miss Granger having been forced to attend it myself, also...unlike you, I shall just dress as I normally would."

"I'm going to have to go naked if I don't find something soon," Hermione sighed and brushed some fluff from her now more than ample breasts, this caused Severus to take in the full extent of the somewhat new Miss Granger. The Hermione he had known at Hogwarts was still there, but now there seemed to be more of her to love as the Muggles would say. She still had the same bushy brown hair, straight teeth and pretty face but it was shrouded by an extra eight or nine stone of weight Snape estimated. This bloated her and made her look like a balloon that was ready to pop, she shrugged her weight when she walked as well, this was demonstrated as she wandered off to swap back to her tent dress she had come in.

When she made her way back into the front of the shop, she found Severus still stood in the same place considering her.

"In the most polite way possible Sir, why are you looking at me like that? I'm aware that I look different...but...it's rude to stare." Snape merely gave Hermione a half smile she had never seen before, and then he spoke.

"Miss Granger would you care to join me for a cup of tea?"

Twenty minutes later found Hermione Granger and Severus Snape in a quaint little tea shop just outside of York. Having apparated there on Hermione's request, which Snape was more than happy to do, to just to avoid the questions about why he was suddenly dining with Hermione Granger. The waiter brought Hermione and Snape a pot of tea and Hermione squirmed uncomfortably.

"Would you like something else Miss Granger?" Hermione bit her lip slightly before squeaking out that she would love a piece of lemon cake, if that was amenable to him. Severus nodded and gestured for the younger man to bring Hermione a piece of cake with ice cream, the girl practically swooned when the cake arrived and she heartily tucked in. It was clear to Severus in this instance, how Hermione had managed to pile the weight on.

"I'm such a pig...I'm sorry Professor would you like some?" Severus waved his hand dismissively and let her carry on eating. When she had finished he surveyed her over his teacup.

"So you plan to attend the Hogwarts Christmas Ball naked do you Miss Granger? That would be interesting."

Hermione coloured up rather prettily and shrugged "I think I will have to unless I can charm some robes to fit me out of an old big top." Severus tried not to chortle even though the joke had been at her expense; a small part of him had felt sorry for the girl, and had brought her out to cheer her up.

Biting the bullet he decided it was time to address the issue at hand here, and posed his question with only the tact possessed by him.

"How did you end up so big Miss Granger?"

Hermione shrugged and replied "Good living, a desk job at the Daily Prophet and feeding Ron the same way his mother did...except in my case it caught up with me and he apparently couldn't hack that look on me?" Her eyes filled with tears again, Severus offered her his napkin which she gratefully took, hers was covered in lemon icing.

"I thought that if he couldn't love me the way I was now, then he shouldn't have me at all...but now I think... have I made a mistake?"

"I am certainly not one to give relationship advice Miss Granger, but if that dim-witted buffoon couldn't accept a brilliant know it all such as you, how you are now, then he really is not deserving of you." 

"So I'm not only the brightest witch of my age now but I'm the heaviest." Hermione sighed and looked remorsefully at the empty cake plate.

"Would you like some more?" he asked gesturing to the plate.

"No..." she sighed.

"Good because I did not intend to buy you anymore Miss Granger...one is sufficient for anybody...especially a girl who from now on is going on a Hogwarts Christmas Ball diet."

"I beg your pardon Sir?" Hermione snorted into her tea.

"Miss Granger I am no longer your Professor and if I intend to help you with this...you really should use my name."

"I'm sorry erm... Snape."

"Merlin...call me Severus Miss Granger, this will be the only chance you will ever get this offer...accept it or leave now." Hermione nodded and accepted the offer.

"Severus," she tried still choking slightly on the tea that had gone down the wrong way.

"How do you intend to help me?" she asked nervously. "Do you have a special potion or?"

Severus laughed loudly at her ignorance, "Do you honestly think I have a weight loss potion Miss Granger? I thought you were clever? If I had that sort of power at my disposal I wouldn't be here scraping a living as a teacher, I would be in the Bahamas under a parasol."

Hermione hung her head in shame, Severus then felt slightly rotten for berating her. Since the fall of the Dark Lord and his acquittal from any part of the war, Severus had managed to live a quieter life and this in time had brought back the sense of humanity and compassion he had lost having to work for Voldemort, and this was rearing its ugly head towards Hermione.

"My apologies Miss Granger...and no it would not be potion but hard work, exercise and diet. Unfortunately even Wizards have been unable to develop a quick fix for getting rid of any extra weight we are carrying...look at Umbridge." This made Hermione belly laugh and for the first time since their meeting, she smiled at him as she had when she was a student.

"Do you really think I could do it...Severus?" she asked warily looking down at her frame.

"You are the brightest witch of your age Miss Granger...you tell me?"

"Hermione, please...ok...when do we start?"

"I shall meet you at your home tomorrow morning...early; we have much to do...Hermione."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A.N: Poor old Hermione eh? Thanks for the reviews and favourites, I shall continue and eat cake whilst doing so...I'm not the one on the Snape diet.

The following morning dawned dull and grey, a bluish light signalled that the weather felt the need to essentially rain on her parade and she would be soaked exercising outside. 'Great' Hermione sulked as she rooted around in her drawers looking for something that resembled work out gear, and not a circus tent. The best she was able to come across was an old, Tie dyed, oversized T-shirt of her father's, that fit rather well she was dismayed to find out...and an old pair of leggings with a hole in the ankle she had to pull and pull and pull on. Her cheeks flamed with mortification at this even though she was alone in her home, it was bad enough she was a fat lump but it was even worse that the person who had shamed her into a diet had been her former Potions Master.

"Huh! What are his qualifications for thinking he's Mr Motivator?" she grumped whilst pulling her wayward tendrils into a hair bobble, which snapped on her hand... "Ouch!" she grumbled again and grabbed a replacement piece of elastic.

"Why does he think he will be able to get me in shape?...I don't think he even has a shape...bloody robes covering him from head to foot, he could be fat himself for all I know." Hermione finished her tirade when she heard the door bell ring below, followed by a sharp rap on the plastic.

"Yeh yeh," she mumbled as she wobbled down the stairs and yanked open the door, the answer to her former musings were suddenly answered in the form of the man himself.

"Oh Christ on a bike!"

Leaning on the door jamb in a rather reformed fashion stood the Potions Master, clad in his own form of work out gear. Instead of the baggy/tight mess she had thrown together, he was wearing a pair of loose fitting short...shorts! A muscle vest which was covered by a Schwartz hooded top lined his body, and his feet were clad with socks and a pair of Nike Trainers.

"I would hardly say I was Christ Miss Granger...and I haven't brought my bike today." Hermione stared at Snape dumbly for another second before shaking off her very obvious shock, and opened the door for the man.

"Would you like to come in Professor?"

"Miss Granger has someone Obliviated you? We've had this discussion... I am not Sir, not Professor and sadly not Lord and Master."

"Sorry erm...Severus."

"Better...now what are you wearing on your feet today?"

"What are we doing Prof...Severus?"

"I intend to start us off on a gentle jog and see how we go from there, if that is amenable to you Miss Granger?"

Hermione nodded, she didn't see much option in the matter as Snape was now slightly pushing his way into her home.

"Was this the home of your parents Miss Granger?" Hermione gave a sad smile and waved around the room.

"I didn't see any sense in letting it go to waste, all of the best memories from my childhood are here and all of my things since leaving Hogwarts. I've basically moved home and stayed here."

"And your parents?"

"A holiday home in Australia, I found them and restored their memories after the fall of Voldemort, they decided to stay out there with an open invitation for me to visit any time. They saw I had work and gave me a home in order to not uproot me from my life, my friends...what I have left of them."

Severus nodded at this, "A great loss has been felt Miss Granger...and it extended further than we ever thought." Severus cast his eyes down... "Shoes Miss Granger."

Ten minutes later found the two apparated to a park surrounded by fully bloomed trees, picnickers with varying baskets and blankets, young couples walking hand in hand and soggy children playing in a water feature.

"Erm Severus, Where are we?"

"I always find it best to work out where other's do not know you, you then have less potential to stop and speak to people, when I need you focussed."

"So we are?" she prompted looking around. A statue that looked all too familiar of a Lewis Carroll novel caught her eye and jumped her memory.

"Miss Granger I would have expected more from a Muggle born witch." Snape gave a slight grin as Hermione coloured up, not for the first time that morning.

"We are in Central Park Professor," the Professor was said with a sneer worthy of Snape himself. Severus gave a bark of laugh before becoming sober again.

"Correct Miss Granger, now come along we have a long way to go."

Severus began to move at an easy pace and Hermione was left without choice but to follow him. She began to jog once again feeling the all too familiar drag in her knees when she tried to move like this, she had managed to run when she was young but that had be more run for your life type running...running that really mattered. Now that she was here in this sunny climate, young children giggling as they played with swing sets and balls, she didn't feel the dire desperation to run from the Death Eaters as she had in the past, and was soon flagging in the midday heat. Hermione stopped and propped herself up against a tree, pushing the drenched hair away from her face.

"Is there a problem Miss Granger?" Severus had turned on his heel and jogged back to her.

"No...No problem," Hermione lied "Listen, how about we go to the pub...I'm buying?"

"Miss Granger we have only gone about six metres I was endeavouring to have you run about six miles before the day is out."

"Six six six" Hermione repeatedly incredulously.

"Six miles. You have obviously heard me the first time Miss Granger and I would like to remind you that I am helping you, I did not ask to help you, and no one is forcing you to continue." A shadow of the former darker Severus Snape ex Death eater crossed his face and with that he turned on his heel and jogged off.

Hermione stood for a minute and took stock of the situation, as she watched a man buy a hotdog from a passing vendor. She mused over what Snape had just said. He was right he hadn't asked her to let him, he had suggested they embark on a program to help her but he had not begged, she had undertaken the offer of her own free will. Hermione hung her head, she was ashamed of herself, ashamed of her ability to complain after only a small amount of time, and she had foolishly joked that she could take the man back to a pub...he was helping her and she was being selfish...this was his summer holidays after all, he had a limited amount of time with her and she was wasting it. Another nasty thought surfaced to her mind then and she brushed away the tear that accompanied it...Ron will never want you back if you're fat.

Shaking her head, Hermione pushed off the tree and began to move, she would not be beholden to such a thought, and no man would make her feel that way ever again. In that moment her mission shifted from become thin to get Ron back to get thin to throw it in his stupid idiotic face. With a growl of defiance she pushed further and soon caught up with Snape, who was jogging with a rather beautiful grace.

"Welcome back Miss Granger," he said without malice as the two continued to jog around the park.

"God I did it!" Hermione celebrated as she collapsed on the grass back at the Alice in Wonderland statue.

"Congratulations you officially ran for one mile."

"One! I thought we had ran six?"

"After I left you I did realise that to expect you to run six miles on your first go was slightly ridiculous of me, forgive me Miss Granger...I always pushed my students, as you will well know, and I continue to do so...old habits die hard."

"One is better than none though Severus," Hermione said sounding cheerful with her built up endorphins.

"Exactly...now we need to talk about that outfit you are wearing, it is hardly feasible to exercise in, it's hot, and it does not support you."

Hermione could do nothing to hold in her giggles as she heard the words 'does not support you' come from the mouth of Severus Snape, she rolled over on the grass laughing heartily. it had been so long since she had found anything even remotely funny, but the fact the Professor had commented on body support was enough to tip her over the edge. Severus meanwhile remained completely unmoved, his face deadly serious as he watched the girl roll helplessly about the grass.

"Is something funny Miss Granger?"

"Its, it's..." she gasped and more peals of laughter came from her, "you said support!"

"I do not understand what is funny about support for one's body when exercising? Many Death Eaters where unable to flee the Dark Lord...not that they would be able to anyway, because they had not indulged in enough exercise to enable them to move fast enough to save their skins."

Hermione stopped laughing and considered this fact "Is that why you train Severus?...to have been able to withstand Voldemort's...punishments?" She gulped and attempted to look into his eyes before looking away again.

"I believe my physical fitness did contribute to that factor Miss Granger," he stated without emotion.

"Did it... I mean I know it hurt...how did you stand it Severus?"

"Let me state for now...Hermione...it was not just my body that had to be physical fit. Now come we have to buy you some decent clothing." Severus held out his hand to Hermione for side along Apparation out of Central Park and out of New York. Hermione took the offered hand warily and allowed herself to be pulled up by those strong arms and whirled away.

As Hermione was returned to her door later that afternoon ladened down with the best sports wear galleons or pounds could buy, she thanked the Potions Master for his time and advice.

"I trust that I will see you again tomorrow Miss Granger?" Severus asked as he took a step back from her door way.

Hermione nodded and smiled at him, she scanned his face for signs of emotion or a tell...but there was nothing. No wonder he was one of the best spies in the Wizarding world, he betrayed nothing.

"Then I shall bid you goodnight Miss Granger and remember...a squeeze of lemon juice will give it a hint of flavour."

With that he Apparated on the spot and disappeared from her door way. Chuckling quietly to herself Hermione went inside and began to prepare the salad he had advised her would taste better with the lemon juice.

Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she became embarrassed by the glow and the silly smile that danced around her face...this was not down to endorphins she deemed...but something entirely different, something she had not experienced for a very very long time.


End file.
